Memento Mori
by cooldude22345
Summary: NEW AUTHOR'S NOTE POSTED IN THE LATEST CHAPTER! Read now.
1. Irony

I was originally gonna post this story on Spyro Forum, but decided that you guys should read it. Also, this was intended to be two seperate chapters, but I decided to merge them together into one, y'know? Enjoy, and please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own The legend of Spyro trilogy or any of its characters and franchise. I do, however, own the plot ideas in this story, which came straight out of my mind.

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"Get back here, little punk!" The crack of a whip echoed loud and far throughout the valley of avalar, followed by an outburst of shouts and cries.

Cynder ducked underneath a low hanging branch, heaving air in and out of her lungs deeply in exhaustion from running for so long. It had been a brave hearted thing she had done; though, now in her time of desperation, she wondered whether or not she had done the right thing to begin with. Her muscles stiffened as a large, rat-like creature stepped on the many dead leaves littered around the forest. His rasping breath wavered with anxiety, and he played the whip in front of him with malice.

"Look around the river! She couldn't have gone far." Cynder shivered as three more of the rat like creatures ran off in different directions, kicking up leaves and dirt in their haste. The one holding the whip sneered, looking at the whip in his hand. Blood stained the wooden handle, turning the once golden wood into a horrid mess of dark red. "Don't leave a single stone unturned!" Fresh blood shone on the tip of the long whip, which brought nothing but joy to the creature's heart.

Indeed, that very whip had shed blood that day. Cynder winced at the horrible burning pains all over her back, but through an act of pure will she managed to hold herself together. She couldn't have ever imagined herself being in a situation like this. If she were to be returned to the slave camps, there would surely be more in store for her than a lashing. Much, much more.

"I can smell you there…" He rasped through deep breaths.

Cynder nearly gasped in surprise. Jeice, the one hunting down Cynder, had a rage like no other. Many times before she had felt the power of his fury at the hands of his whip, and on more than one occasion he had laced it with poison ivy. The meek could never survive under his iron fist; these were usually regular dragons kidnapped from a peaceful life and abruptly hurled into slavery. Cynder was only lucky to have been born into this cruel business, or else she never would have survived.

"Your fear… It can't be missed… It makes you stick out like a sore thumb!" Jeice swung his long tail around and smashed it onto a nearby bush with a terrifying force. Had anybody been under there, they would have had no chance of surviving.

Cynder's heart pounded erratically. Surely this had to be a bluff! She braced herself to escape as he turned to face the branches she was hiding under. She could hear his loud, wavering breaths as he moved closer to the branches. She could detect a change in the way he stood, hunching his back and cackling madly. The wide, crooked smile forming upon his hideous features, barely visible underneath the moonlight. He laughed and turned around, walking in the opposite direction with his whip in hand.

"Come on! Let's check the feline's village!" Jeice called out as he disappeared behind the thick trees. Cynder felt a thousand pounds lift off her shoulders, and took a deep breath. Her troubles were not over yet; now she had no idea where to go, and the cuts on her back bled profusely. She had no choice but to wash out her wounds in the nearby waterfall.

Slowly and painfully she arose from behind the branches, keeping her head low and listening for any signs of Jeice and his men. When the coast seemed clear, she sprinted off in the opposite direction that Jeice had left from.

"He's going to find me," She whispered to herself as she crashed through thick layers of flora, ducking underneath thick branches and jumping over thorn bushes, "He's gonna find me, and he'll kill me." She motivated herself to further want freedom, reminding herself about the punishment that was in store for her if she were to be captured. Slowly the roaring waterfall came into view, and as she came to a stop at the water's edge she couldn't help but feel a bit amazed. Never before in her life had she been allowed outside of the slave camps, except only when she was sent to gather the local crops. But even then she had to be escorted by a group of her slaveholder's employees.

She looked down into the water, and saw the reflection of herself caused by the moon's dim light. A large cut ran along the side of her neck, followed by smaller and deeper ones running along her legs. There was a tear in the membrane of her wing, and sides were stained with blood. She felt an urgent need to cry, to pity herself for the lifestyle she had been born into.

"No," She said to nobody as she walked into the deeper end of the waterfall's lake, shivering at the icy cold that overtook her body, "I can't. I can't show weakness." It pained her to rub the cold water into her wounds, but she tried as best as she could not to cry out in pain.

She heard a leaf crunch behind her, and she turned with apprehension to face the intruder. The air was completely still as she stood facing one of Jeice's men, who stared at Cynder with a vengeful look on its narrow face. She could see it take a step back, and reach into the pocket strapped to his waist to pull out a small dagger. It's tail waved behind it, as if engulfed in excitement. There was so much tension that neither of the two dared to make a move, as if doing so would kill them. Then, it all happened in a flash.

The rat threw the dagger at Cynder, who gasped and ducked just as it was about to hit her head. As soon as she regained her senses, it was upon her, clawing at her face and kicking her in a wild fury. Water was splashed everywhere, and in a matter of seconds the rat's fur was soaking wet. Cynder grunted out of pain and attempted to shake him off, standing on her hind legs and falling backwards. She fell on top of it with a cry, and quickly flipped over to strike his face with outstretched claws. She raked her claws against it's face, tearing its ears into ribbons and its nose apart. The defeated creature stood there dazed, unable to process what had just happened, when Cynder delivered a fatal blow to the side of the head.

Silence. Cynder still trembled from the whole ordeal, and with a shuddering sigh she examined the body of her enemy. It's chest rose and fell as it took strained breath, and it's face was painted red with it's own blood. Cynder shook her head, turned tail and ran. Her vision blurred as everything around her melted into loose mixtures of colors and sounds, before everything went blank...

_How far will you run..?_

_How much will you hide..?_

_...How long will you live?_

... Cynder awoke with a loud gasp and wide eyes, still feeling the adrenaline and fear from her nightmare. It had only been a couple of days since she had escaped the slave camp, and already she was feeling the journey taking its toll on her, in body and mind. The persistant dreams, nagging her about the fateful night spent hiding from Jeice, and the short lived battle with his minion. Her stomach was constantly growling, and countless times would she wake up at the sound of her own stomach aching for food. During the day she found herself more tired that usual, taking unnecessary naps for nearly the whole day.

And still, no signs of civilization. No signs of food. No rest.

The constant danger of being caught by the slave hunters was always deep within Cynder's mind, only worsened by the fact that she was still within the boundaries of Avalar. Until she could escape and get out of the area, she would never be safe… though she had made good progress. In only two days she had made her way deep into the enchanted forest, and very far from the slave camp.

She lifted her head up and squinted as a ray of sunlight shone through the thick covers of the trees and into her eyes. It was troublesome having to sleep in such a cold, damp environment. She was used to the hay bed that she was given back at the slave camp, and the warmth of the rooms that she and her fellow slaves were given…

How ironic, she thought to herself as she stood up and yawned. Here she was, thinking kindly about the very thing she was running away from. Though, in her current situation, anything seemed comforting. Making her way past the bushes that hid her from view, she placed a paw on the muddy trail leading deeper within the forest. She had no idea where she was going, and as she set off on the path once again she reassured herself that anywhere but back would be fine.

Walking past a small puddle with small tadpoles swimming it, she got a strange feeling, as if something was trying to reach out to her. Her gaze was averted downwards, and her mind was filled with a deep curiosity.

There, in the path right before her, were the footprints of a dragon.

She got down low and examined the footprints in front of her, following the path that they led to. They were spread far apart; whoever made these was most likely running. She could see the comparison between her paws and the ones etched into the ground. They were much bigger that hers, and dug into the mud deeper than Cynder's footprints. It was either a male, or a very large female.

The footprints got closer and closer together as the path got narrower, and in a few minutes Cynder had reached the end of the muddy trail.

The first thing Cynder noticed was that she was now at the edge of a cliff, overlooking the Valley of Avalar from miles away. She brought her attention back to the tracks she had been following. They were suddenly cut off at the end of the trail, and with a careful eye she examined the grass that surrounded her. Four chopped up tree trunks lay in a square, surrounding a small bundle of sticks pointed up in a triangle. Her curiosity arose, and she took light steps towards the strange anomaly. As she climbed over a log, something kept poking at her mind, as if trying to alert her of something…

Ah, yes. She could make a warm fire! A quick look around and, after making sure there was no one around, she stepped towards the gathering of sticks and branches. A warm feeling grew in her throat, and in seconds a burst of flame had erupted from her maw, incinerating the once standing bundle of sticks. Her spirits dropped considerably, and with a silent groan she closed her eyes.

Beaten by the elements once again.

How ironic was it that she couldn't even make a small spark without completely destroying anything in front of her! It made her ashamed to be a dragon. Contrite was perhaps the only way she could feel about herself right now. And even though there was none around to see her humiliating display, she couldn't help but feel herself grow very warm.

"Nice job."

Her body froze in place at the sudden voice; it had come from behind her. Her heart pounded in her ears as she willed herself to take a quick glance behind her, in fear that it might be an enemy. What caught her attention confused her to no ends.

"… What?" Said a purple dragon, standing just a few feet away from Cynder. She had seen many dragons before, of all sizes and colors, but something was very wrong with this one. Very, very wrong.

"…This? You… you saw?" She shuffled away nervously in humiliation and guilt. The purple dragon cocked his head to the side and smiled widely. An odd gesture coming from a complete stranger.

"Yeah, kinda… It looked pretty funny." He laughed comfortably.

Cynder wished she hadn't spoke at all. She should have pretended to be mute, then walked off without another word. It was her thoughtless speaking that got her into these kinds of messes. She was used to talking only to females like her, and was never allowed to speak to another male due to the restrictions of the slave camps. Now that chance arose, she was at a loss for words.

"I… I must go." She murmured softly. Her tail went around her paws as she shifted uneasily. "I've nothing to do here."

"Really?" The purple dragon asked quizzically, "Then what were you trying to do with that fire just now?"

Something about him reached out to Cynder, in a way she couldn't describe. He had this odd air about him, almost carefree and inviting. She avoided his gaze timidly as another laugh escaped him. "I was cold. I thought maybe I could get warm for a couple of minutes…" She flinched as he got up and yawned, taking a short glance at the setting sun behind him. He took a step in her direction, at which she moved back several feet. She didn't know this dragon at all, and certainly wasn't too eager about being in his company.

"My name is Spyro." He said blankly, rolling his shoulders and snapping his wings close to him. "Don't worry, I don't bite." It annoyed Cynder to hear him talk with such an unnering tone. "At least, not yet…" His sides heaved as he laughed at the petrified look on Cynder's face, to which she frowned. Was he making a fool out of her? What did he take her for?

"Spyro…" She repeated his name, causing it to ring in her head loudly; that is, until she realized just how much time she had wasted talking to a complete stranger. "I need to leave!" She said sharply, turning around and hastily increasing the distance between her and Spyro.

"Wait!" He called out. Cynder paused, looking back at him irritably.

"I can't stay." She repeated with a sigh.

Spyro simply shrugged, climbing over the tree trunk behind him and picking up a strange object. It looked like a small backpack of some sort, like the ones Cynder used when gathering crops at the slave camp… "You must be hungry."

"No, I'm not." Her stomach growled in protest, and with a frown she looked down.

"Looks like your stomach thinks otherwise." He said with a chuckle. Cynder scowled and cursed at herself inwardly. "You want one?" He asked, pulling out a large apple from the backpack. Cynder eyed it enviously, though she made no attempt to accept the offer.

"… Hn…" She unknowingly made a low purring sound, at which she clenched her teeth and mentally scolded herself. She found herself having to avert her gaze to the ground once again after noticing Spyro's confused expression.

"Well, too late to say no. Catch!" She hadn't even noticed that he had tossed the shiny red apple towards her until it was inches away from her head. Standing on her hind legs she caught it in her mouth, crouched low and gnawed on the sweet fruit greedily. It was too late before she had noticed her mistake.

Spyro was staring at her with puffed up cheeks, obviously stifling a laugh. She not only contradicting earlier statements, but also making a complete fool out of herself. The thought of having stooped this low unnerved her to no end. "… What is it with you? Does every aspect about me make you laugh?" She said crossly. Spyro flinched slightly at her sudden question, and quickly regaining his composure he smiled.

"No. I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

Cynder's curiosity was once again aroused, and she couldn't help but perk her head up. "What?"

"I mean, it's obvious you don't like me. I didn't wanna come off as a jerk, so I thought I'd give you a bite to eat." He said, indicating with a nod that he was talking about the now half eaten apple within Cynder's maw. "But you seem stressed about something."

Cynder's jaw and her lunch nearly dropped as her mouth hung wide open. How could he have been so observant amidst his carefree personality? He wasn't like any other dragons she had ever met; something about him seemed different, as if he was caring too much…

… It angered her deeply.

"What do you care?" She shot back. Something in her mind told her that she should be mad; she didn't know why, but it was as if the purple dragon was being a little bit too invasive concerning her well being. She had never known a simple stranger to be compelled to act like this… Even at her slave home, it took her years just to get used to the company of her friends. Her head dropped sadly, and she held back tears.

"… Are you okay?" Spyro asked worriedly. Cynder gasped and put a paw to her cheek; it was warm with her tears gently sliding down her face and onto the grass below. She let out a sob, and turned her back towards Spyro in anger. She had no idea what was making her feel like this, and worse, she didn't know _what_to feel. Her forearm ran across her eyes back and forth to dry her tears, while half of her expected to hear another mocking laugh from Spyro.

But she heard nothing. Glancing behind her she could see his disgruntled expression, and the way his paw plucked the grass right out from underneath him.

"You're not from here, are you?" He asked solemnly. Cynder didn't reply, but gave a slight nod. She could hear his disturbed sigh as he overlooked the Valley of Avalar from the high cliff, staring in the direction that she had been running away from. "… I'm guessing you came, err… escaped from over _there_, didn't you?" He asked softly.

She didn't like the emphasis he put in his words, and yet somehow she decided that it didn't matter. Shoving her thoughts aside, she replied weakly. "… No…" What? She should have said yes, like she had decided to. What had stopped her from doing so?

"You shouldn't lie." Spyro stated, "It won't make things any easier. Besides, your feet… They're all scuffed up. Have you been running?"

There it was again! Twice he had seen through her ruse! She remained silent as she took the last bite out of the apple, savoring the wonderful taste and the energy the fruit provided her weak body.

"It's okay," He started, tightening the opening of the bag with a rope hewn into the fabric to close it. Swinging it onto his back with a grunt he grinned. "On my way here, there were several other dragons running in the same direction you were going in… Maybe you knew them?" It brought him joy to see the sudden change in the dragonesses attitude, from angry to excited.

"Y-Yes! Do you know where they went?" She quickly noticed the guard she had let down, and she guardedly cleared her throat.

"Well, I'm not completely sure, but I bet they headed to Warfang. It's a pretty sweet place for refugees and stuff."

Cynder's shoulders drooped low at the mention of the dragon city. "Oh." She murmured in defeat. Spyro took note of this, and invitingly nodded towards the village.

"You can tag along with me if you don't know how to get there; I live there, so I should know!" Cynder's eyes shone with joy and exhilaration, though she maintained a body language that not even Spyro could see through. "By the way, you never told me your name."

Cynder was taken aback by the sudden subject brought up. Was she ready to give her name to a complete stranger? What if he turned against her, and turned her in to Jeice and the slave master? She nervously cut the blades of grass behind her with the tip of her sharp tail, looking up for once and staring straight into Spyro's eyes.

"… Ember." She lied to him and to herself; though somehow, she felt that this was something he _had _seen through, judging by the quizzical look her gave her. Nonetheless, he started towards the forest, disappearing behind the thick cover of the trees. Cynder, after lamenting over her poor definition, took up a semi-placid air about her, standing up and quickly scurrying into the trees, where Spyro had disappeared into. Her conscience screamed at her in the back of her mind, giving the most obvious question…

_… How far will you go for freedom?_

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PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE review! I need your feedback! I'll luvs u 4evar if u do!


	2. Wonder

A teensy bit of the plot is explained here. This is the most obvious I'll make it; the next couple of chapter's you'll have to be paying attention to find out more plot details. Enjoy!

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She had found company where she least expected it, and _when _she least wanted it. But, it's not like she had a choice; she only needed Spyro to get to Warfang, and then he would quickly be erased from her life. She was lagging behind Spyro several feet to think to herself about events past and present. It was also bothering her how a well fit dragon like Spyro wasn't broken from being a slave, if he had ever been one. She doubted this fact, as he appeared too accustomed to nature to have worked at such a terrible place.

"Try not to get lost, 'kay?" She was jerked from her thoughts as Spyro spoke, looking back at her with a straight face.

She held back the temptation to growl in anger and simply leave. How could he be babying her like this? He was _nobody _to her for him to be treating her like this. She grunted indignantly and looked down at her paws, surprised at how worn down they were. The pads of her feet were tender and sore, making flying seem all the more reasonable to her. But if she were to take off, slave hunters were sure to spot her… and in minutes she would be dragged back by her tail.

"It's not too far from here," Started the purple dragon as he looked up at the night sky, "We might make it there by sunrise."

Sunrise? That was far too long for her to walk.

"If you want, we can rest for a bit." Suggested Spyro, taking his backpack off and throwing it onto the ground. Cynder maintained the distance between them, laying on her belly and exhaling deeply. Spyro looked at her with forlorn eyes, turning back to his bag and searching for something deliberately. She was taken aback by his change in mood. Something ached in her chest; she had felt it before, when she would witness her companions receive a horrid beating. Though it always showed, she tried not to let it get the best of her. She didn't like it when her emotions took over her mind. "What made you act in such a way?" He inquired curiously. "You don't seem to be enjoying yourself."

"It's nothing," She started, running her paw along the smooth blades of grass dejectedly, "Well, nothing you need to worry about."

"I'm just glad you finally spoke, is all!" He said cheerfully, flashing a toothy grin in her direction, "It's not cool having to be by yourself most of the time, like me."

Ah, so he had revealed a small detail about himself! Though, it wasn't anything of much importance to Cynder. She could, however, see the reason behind his kind attitude. She had always had somebody to talk to as a slave; maybe this guy didn't have anyone. The throbbing pain in her paws subsided as the stress walking put on them was no longer present. "Why bother?" It was too late. Before she had even known she was thinking about it, the words had escaped her breath effortlessly and elusively. Her panic was shown in her eyes, just as she looked up to see the purple dragon staring back at her with the most caring look she had ever received.

"What do you mean?" He asked quizzically, "About you?" He didn't need a reply; the stern expression the female in front of him had told him all. "Because you don't deserve this, Ember."

Ember? Now where had he - oh. That's right. Her 'new' name for the moment. Cynder remained silent, and though she _knew_ that she felt for his words, it didn't matter to her. He - a dragon she had only met hours ago - was nothing but a guide to freedom for her.

"And besides," He said with a wink, "I'm sure you _need _me, don't you?"

What atrocities he spoke of! How high up on his pedestal was he that made him think she actually _needed_ him?

"No, I don't." She growled deeply. This didn't faze Spyro at all; he merely shrugged and pulled out a sphere-like flask, holding it to his open mouth and pouring a small amount of water to soothe his thirst. Cynder resisted the urge to smack her lips greedily.

"Then, how will you find your way to Warfang?" He asked. Cynder opened her mouth to protest, but realized just how beat he had her. She shut her eyes angrily and laid her head down, attempting against her will to ignore the dragon speaking to her. "I don't think you should be so defensive. I'm only trying to help." He said quietly.

Maybe it was time for her to ask herself the important question. Why _was_ she angry at him? She searched her mind for an excuse in an attempt to not appear vain. Ah, know she knew. The way he mocked her just seconds after meeting her, and how he took her pain lightly, as if humorous.

Not to mention how invasive he could be.

"Well, you think I'm funny. I _don't _see the humor in anything I've done." She said crossly, though she soon learned the mistake behind her words, and how childish they seemed. Maybe Spyro hadn't noticed that, or maybe he simply chose to ignore that little detail. He sighed weakly and with regret.

"I'm sorry about that." He started, causing Cynder to open her eyes in interest, "I just thought you needed a push. You don't seem like the kind of person who likes talking."

She knew how sincere his apology had sounded. In her mind she was forgiving, but her instinct told her to keep away from him. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly, feigning sleep in order to get him off her case. She had learned over and over again to trust instinct more than herself, whether she liked it or not.

"You know what's funny?" He started, laying on his back in a worn out manner, "That the enslavement of dragons… Was started by a dragon himself!"

Apparently, her ruse hadn't fooled him. "I don't see the humor in that." Cynder retorted. This dragon obviously had no idea what humor even meant, let alone how to use it. She found herself glancing at him shortly, just in time to see him shake his head.

"I guess it isn't _that _ironic, then." Irony. That made much more sense than finding humor in the cruel wholesale of innocent lives. At least, to her it did. "But you know why we're being enslaved by our own kind? It's because the master knows us." Cynder grunted, half out of surprise and interest at how much Spyro knew about her own history. She was also interested as to how he knew about the master. He was a secret to the rest of the world, and somehow this purple dragon had found out…

… Or maybe, he had also been a slave, just like Cynder.

The temptation of asking such a question came to mind, but she placated herself before she got too involved in this conversation.

"He knows our limits, and what we can achieve. He knows how much punishment we can withstand…And, he also knows he's powerful enough to scare everyone into believing that we, dragons, are only tools." He shook the circular flask in his paw, which made loud sloshing sounds as the water moved throughout the empty space, and he looked towards Cynder. Her emerald eyes were staring at him intently, a surefire sign that he had caught her attention.

"You're… quite interesting…" The words escaped her again, and this time she felt like smacking herself across the face madly. What was it with her lately? Was it her conscience speaking out for her? Or, even worse, _against _her? Nonetheless, she maintained her calm composure, acting as if nothing had gone wrong. Well, at least for her.

"Thanks." Spyro replied simply.

At least he didn't make a big deal out of it, like she had expected him to. Though, the more she listened to him talk, the more she doubted her ways of characterizing people. What effect was it this dragon was having against her? Whatever it was, she certainly didn't like it.

"I'm… assuming you were once a slave?" She finally blurted out. This time, however, wasn't on accident. She saw his features turn a bit solemn, before he shrugged in response.

"I guess you could say that. Though, I didn't stay long enough to actually know what that must be like."

_Now _he had really caught her interest.

"Really?" She asked attentively.

"Yeah. They took me there after they found me traveling in this very forest." He said with the wave of a paw, indicating towards the trees around him. "After a bit of sneaking around and some trouble, I finally escaped. All in one night!"

Cynder's eyes reflected the jealousy coming from deep within her heart. She had to suffer her whole life just to live, and this guy busted out the second he got taken there! She tried not to show her anger, and once again laid her head down on her paws. "Cool." she said half heartedly.

Spyro simply smiled at her. "And what about you? Could you tell me what it was like for you?"

"No." She said sharply. The nerve! How could he ask of such a personal thing? Maybe he thought they would exchange their life stories with each other. That didn't matter to her, though. He had told her out of his own free will; that didn't mean Cynder was in a hurry to do the same.

"Oh…" He murmured in a disheartened tone. He looked over at Cynder with a distant gaze, shifting his attention back to the flask in his hand.

Cynder felt something bump into her head, and with a growl she looked up. The flask Spyro was just holding had rolled into her; she starred at it in confusion, looking at Spyro for an explanation. He grinned widely and closed his eyes.

"You can… ah… have the rest." He said with a loud yawn. Cynder paid no attention to the container, instead focusing on getting more sleep. She couldn't possibly drink the last of his water and give in to weakness…

… Yet, when she was sure Spyro had fallen asleep, she gulped down every drop of water gratefully. Maybe _she _was the one too high up on her pedestal, but was too oblivious to see it. She didn't notice the smile that crept onto the purple dragon's face at the sight of her gratitude, nor the laugh that he made just before drifting off to sleep.

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This chapter kinda disappointed me, but it'll get better. I also kinda gotta admit that TheSunriseSet's stories sorta inspired me to do this fic. Review!


	3. Heart

Her eyes fluttered open as she awoke from her doze, startled by the sudden ray of light that shone in her eyes. Ugh, woken by the cruel sun again. Immediately her stomach rumbled viscously, at which she groaned heatedly. Nothing seemed to be going right for Cynder since she ran away from enslavement. She might as well get up and search for food herself, since it wouldn't do her any good just sitting around. It came to her attention that the purple dragon had been sleeping next to her the whole time; it was nothing but a futile attempt to try to show kindness to her. She saw his bag laying on the ground a couple of feet away, stuffed full of various objects and such. The temptation arose to investigate what was inside the old bag, though she quickly calmed herself before she got too carried away.

"You're quiet." Spyro said with a yawn, stretching out his long wings with several flaps. She jerked backwards at the sound of his voice, surprised that he had already woken up. He gazed at Cynder with a smile, causing an uncomfortable chill to wash over her.

"… Hn…" She uncomfortably averted her gaze and looked back at the bag besides her.

"You still want to tag along? If you want to, follow me." He invited, walking past her while tossing his neck to loosen the stiff muscles. She found herself watching him attentively, tensing up as his wing briefly brushed against her shoulder. Her eyes closed momentarily, accompanied by an abbreviated sigh. He looked back at her with a questioning look, taking the strap of the bag in his mouth slowly. "What?" He shifted nervously as Cynder's piercing stare went right through him.

"I'll go." She quickly changed the subject, hoping to save herself from even more useless talk. As much as she disliked it, she knew she was growing fond of the dragon. She hoped not to grow too close to him, since she was going to have to ditch him as soon as they got to Warfang. If she got attached to him, parting would only make things painful when they went their separate ways.

"You hungry?" Spyro asked out of the blue, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"No." She stated blandly. Cynder had grown accustomed to going long days without food, and she intended to keep it that way. She never knew when the time would arise that she would go hungry again, so falling into gluttony wasn't what she had in mind.

"Oh." Spyro shrugged, swinging the bag onto his back, "Do you think you can go a while longer without food?"

"… Yes." Cynder said after a while of silence.

"Ah, okay then. Just follow me." He said, taking a deep invigorated breath and stalking off towards the surrounding woods. Cynder looked around for the first time since she had decided to tag along with Spyro, noticing how wet the grass was. She looked down at her paws and sighed, happy that they were no longer sore and as scuffed up. Folding her wings in she looked in the direction Spyro had went in, following suit a bit more hastily than she liked.

The trees became more and more scarce as they headed north, to the point that they were no longer in groups or pairs, instead spread out by several feet. The fauna also greatly increased, with creatures such as deer, birds and bears looking on as the two dragons continued their journey. It was strange how quickly the habitat changed in these parts; the forest was now behind the two, and the trees gave way to a beautiful array of tall green grass and small flowers. A happy breeze smoothed over the calm land, bringing a sense of security to Cynder's heart. After all, it was nice to go a day without danger.

Spyro led her through a winding path cut into the landscape, stopping at random intervals to observe the creatures around them. The dark clouds above them slowly dissolved into a clear blue sky, with a bright sun shining down on the land. The young dragoness hadn't ever felt peace like this before, and it was only in her dreams that she had ever hoped of catching sight of a place like this. Spyro stared at her fixedly as she examined her surroundings with bright eyes and a dumbfounded expression.

"Pretty cool, huh?" He murmured softly. Cynder turned to him strangely with a shimmer in her eyes. It almost seemed as if she were holding back a smile.

She gasped as something tugged forcibly on her tail. Swerving around quickly she came face to face with the culprit…

"Owowow!" Yipped a tiny bear cub, taking tentative steps towards Cynder. The startled dragoness crouched down and growled, holding her tail at her side defensively.

"Hahaha!" Spyro laughed as the cub ran in circles around Cynder playfully, while the black dragonesses composure steadily grew more and more unstable. "It's okay! He only wants to play with you!" As if in agreement, the cup opened it's small mouth and let out a weak squeal. Its wide brown eyes sparkled with a youthful joy.

Cynder looked at Spyro and softened her expression, though she refused to pay any attention to the energetic young cub. "Bothersome!" She muttered under her breath, closing her eyes as the small brown cub tugged on her horns playfully.

"It doesn't seem to have a mom…" Spyro said sadly, "I wonder how he'll survive."

Cynder was puzzled by his words. This dragon cared far too much for everything around him… Certainly it couldn't be healthy. Though, if that weren't the case, where would she be now? Probably still stuck in that dark forest, or worse…

As if it were being called, the young cub suddenly looked up and sniffed the air. It gave one last squeal before scurrying off towards the forest, running very fast despite its short legs.

"Looks like he got bored." Spyro said with a chuckle. He looked on as the cub disappeared behind the cover of the trees, turning around in the direction that he had been walking. "We should go now if we want to get to Warfang by the end of the day." He started on the path before him, walking a bit more faster than usual.

Cynder looked back once again and furrowed her brow, amazed at how suddenly the climate could change. Surreal would be the word that she was looking for. Yet, although she knew that she wasn't dreaming, this certainly didn't seem real. It was as if they had gone to opposite ends of the world within a couple of hours…

"Spyro." Cynder called out in an almost commanding tone. The purple dragon looked back with a raised brow, surprised at the tone of her voice.

"You're voice sounds kinda weird… Y'know, since you're usually quiet and all."

The nerve! Cynder's eyes narrowed in an angry and disrespected manner, turning her head away with closed eyes. Bah! This Spyro was certainly not a respectful dragon. She was surprised at the offense she had taken from his words, though with a sigh she shoved her thoughts aside.

"Okay…" Cynder murmured quietly. Spyro realized the poor choice of words he had made, but he put the issue behind him in hopes that the two would simply forget about it. Cynder went on, straining her head with clenched teeth to look directly at Spyro. "I would appreciate it if you could…" She struggled to find the right words, closing her eyes to think harder and think of the word she was looking for.

Spyro took a step closer to her and crouched on the ground, shaking his rear like a cat would during a hunt. "Yes?" He egged on with a strange accent that sounded too forced out. It almost seemed pathetic.

The black dragoness opened her eyes as she found the certain word she needed. "Try."

Spyro stood up straight and frowned. "Uh… I don't get it." He murmured obliviously. He watched Cynder shuffle her feet as she spoke again, this time with a more firm tone.

"I mean… Try with me." She stared at Spyro expectantly, waiting for him to get what she meant. His blank expression caused her to scowl crossly. "I… Don't think we got off on the right foot. I want to try getting along."

Spyro looked at her strangely, as if he hadn't heard what she said. He furrowed his brow in thought and looked down, while Cynder looked on with an amused expression. He finally looked up with a smile, holding out his paw to Cynder. "I accept!"

What? Now what was he talking about? She didn't give him an invitation to anything; she merely suggested that they get along better. "What?" Cynder stuttered, denying his held out paw with a shake of her head, "No, you misunderstood…"

"No I didn't!" He exclaimed, "You practically asked if we could be friends. So, I accept!"

Now her anger was being awoken. She looked at him with narrowed eyes, grinding her teeth indignantly. "That's _not _what I said!"

"Ah, but it's what you _meant_!" Spyro suggested. It amused him how easily he could anger Ember, from calling her funny to suggesting that they be friends. His smile grew wider as Cynder's face reddened out of anger.

"_NO!_" She barked angrily, "You stupid juvenile jerk!"

Spyro's smile quickly faded as Cynder's words reached his ears. He was slightly taken aback by her sudden outburst, though it interested the purple dragon how she had the wisdom to call him a juvenile, when she couldn't be any older than him. He figured that she was a bit younger than him, marked by the fact that she only reached up to his chin in terms of height."… Juvenile?" He started, "I don't think you have any room to be talking."

"Wha-" Cynder began, quickly stopping herself as she realized how foolish she had made herself look. With a gulp she looked away, hoping that her warm cheeks would go unnoticed by Spyro. "… Nevermind." She finished blankly.

"Ember," Spyro started, shaking his paw in the air to get Cynder's attention, "I want to be your friend."

She turned back to him with wide eyes and her mouth slightly agape. She didn't think that this would happen so quick; there was no way she could befriend someone like him. He was too carefree to know anything about the pain she has felt in her life, and he was certainly unaware of the dangers that would befall him should he choose to be her companion.

Even though the facts were right in front of her, she found that her mouth had slightly curved up in a smile, and a warm feeling grew in her chest. Whatever that feeling was, it made her feel good and secure. "… Okay." She murmured quietly, reaching out and touching Spyro's paw with her own. Spyro grinned at her sudden change of heart, grasping her paw softly and giving it a light shake. It was funny how small she was compared to him, how his paws nearly doubled hers in size and his wings stretched much farther that hers.

"See? That wasn't so hard!" He cheered. Cynder shrugged and pulled her arm back, feeling a bit dazed by the whole event.

"Maybe." She fibbed solemnly.

"Uh, of course!" Spyro laughed, "So, you'll stop hating me now?"

Cynder shook her head slowly. "I don't remember hating you. I only know that you're annoying." She retorted, adding a hint of sarcasm to her statement.

"Ouch!" Spyro winced, taking note of the lightened mood, "I'll take that as a yes." He looked back at the path in front of him, squinting into the distance and spotting a far array of hills. "Well, there's good news. Warfang is just over those hills over there!" He stated proudly, turning around and starting on the path once again. He took a short glance back at Cynder and nodded. "Let's go!" He urged on, walking a bit more hastily.

Strange, Cynder thought. As annoying as Spyro was, she felt relieved to have gotten him off her back. It also felt better to be able to talk without resentment or apprehension. She shook her thoughts out of her head and followed after Spyro, with that same warm feeling she had felt earlier still lingering in her chest. She had only a small idea as to what that feeling might be…

… Yet, with a sigh she realized that feeling would only make her pain worse.

--*--*--*--*--*

Hmm… Here we see these two make some progress, but still not much about Cynder's life in slavery. I almost gave up because I couldn't think of anything; after a Tijuana-brownie and five days of being sick in bed, I managed to keep this fic alive. Now, I need you guys to answer a question…

Does this feel a bit rushed to you? Be honest so that I make the story a little better plz. And be sure to point out any plot-holes or inconsistencies within the story!

Hope you enjoyed!


	4. Wings

Lolz, just a reminder guys, Cynder lied and told Spyro her name was Ember. So no, those times I called Cynder Ember weren't on accident.

And also, just to let you know, I've never actually written a full-blown story before. Usually, I just write short stories. So this is all pretty new to me, since as I go along, I find myself thinking up of an even more complicated plot. Plus, writer's block is bitch, as we all know, so this whole time I haven't updated it was cause of writer's block.

I don't really like how this chapter turned out at all. I was gonna put an action scene in there again, but decided to save it for later. Instead, I created a long filler chapter. Then, I run out of ideas. It's a miracle I even managed to finish this.

So, please review so I know you like the story.

-- -- -- --

"Hmm…" Spyro murmured, flexing his wings restlessly as he and Cynder continued on the path to Warfang. He squinted as he looked up at the sky, pleased to notice that the sun was shining brightly and that the skies were clear. It's perfect for flying, he thought to himself. They would cover a lot more ground that way, and it would also allow their tired feet to rest for a while. "I think we should fly the rest of the way there." He said while looking back at Cynder.

"Flying?" Cynder shivered uneasily, looking at her wings folded at her side. _"No way," _she thought bitterly. With a shake of her head she got her answer across.

"Oh…" Spyro said dishearteningly. He folded his wings in and continued on the path, dragging his feet along the dirt noisily.

It was silent most of the time, the only noise coming from Spyro's paws dragging across the dirt and a catchy tune he had started to whistle. A vein bulged in Cynder's head as a headache arose, and Spyro's insistent whistling wasn't making her feel any better. The sun had started to cast an uncomfortable heat upon the land, causing Cynder's mouth to dry up and her paws to sweat a little. This wasn't what she had in mind; not only was she hungry and with a headache, but the heat was beginning to make her scales itch.

"Wow…" Cynder murmured, taking refuge underneath a crooked tree, "It's hot out here…"

"No kidding," Spyro sighed, holding his wings over his head to block the sun's rays, "I bet it's cause we're in Summer now."

Cynder raised a scaly brow in response. Summer?

"How?" She asked suddenly, "How come the climate here is so…" She struggled for the right words, looking down with narrowed eyes.

"Freaky?" Spyro finished for her, "It's cause of magic."

… Magic. Cynder rolled her eyes and laid her head down, convinced that this dragon had problems. Never in her life would she be convinced that such a thing existed. "Sure." she retorted offhandedly.

"It's true!" Spyro exclaimed with a smirk, "Magic _crafters_, to be exact." He stared her down strangely, as if expecting her to disagree.

"There is no such thing as magic." Cynder stated blandly. The sound of her own voice made her head pulse out of pain, and with clenched teeth she put a paw to her head.

"There is too!" He argued, almost too much like a toddler, "You're a dragon! Your life revolves around magic!" He waved his arms for emphasis to his words.

Cynder decided not to press on about the subject, instead focusing on relaxation and calamity.

Spyro laid down and sighed, pulling out bright green blades of grass in boredom. "What made you run away?" He asked out of nowhere, shifting his gaze to where Cynder was laying down. The black dragoness opened her left eye quizzically, curling her tail around her body slowly.

"Not being there." She realized her words didn't make much sense, though the purple dragon seemed to understand.

Spyro nodded approvingly. "Did you have any friends?"

Cynder was taken aback by his question. She hadn't thought of _any _of her friends all day; a guilty feeling rose from deep within her, causing a knot to grow in her throat. "You could say that…" She rolled onto her back and stared up at the sky, imagining each of her friends' faces as she let her mind wander off.

Spyro laid his head on his paws and nibbled on a piece of grass, playing it in between his teeth lazily. He was used to the heat from the sun, since he had lived in Warfang for most of his life. The heat there was almost too hot to bear, to the point that the streets would be barren and empty of any signs of civilization. It was a relief whenever rain would fall or when it would snow; then all the hatchlings would run outside and spend all day splashing in puddles or hurling snowballs at each other. It was almost nostalgic, reminding him of days he could only wish to relive…

A fly buzzed around Spyro's head, searching desperately for signs of shade. He swatted at it with a heavy paw, closing his eyes irritably as the insect came back in a frenzy. Being in the sun didn't bother him much; for some reason, being a purple dragon meant that he could adapt to practically any environment. It was something that puzzled him, since he hadn't ever seen another purple dragon in his life. A dragon with the element of fire would have a hard time living in frigid environments; dragons with the ice element likewise. It seemed that he was different. He also had a keen sense of perception when it came to the world around him.

At least, that's only what he thought.

He pushed his thoughts aside, deeming them irrelevant. "We can't stay here. Time is gonna fly by too fast; we have to get to Warfang before the gates close."

Cynder squinted as the sky's glare started to irritate her eyes, rolling onto her side with a sigh. This could only mean more sore feet for her, as much as she hated it, and the journey didn't seem to be letting up any time soon. "Fine." She felt like falling asleep again, but knew that arguing now was pointless.

"Alrighty then!" Spyro exclaimed with a jump, landing on his paws lightly. He walked around the crooked tree and back onto the sandy path, swinging his tail side to side with a hop to his step.

Cynder rolled back onto her paws and rocked her head to the side, relieving her tense muscles and aching back. She was growing more and more used to the long journey, although it was nothing like she had imagined. She remembered staying up at nights, wondering what it would be like if she lived in the forest… Now that she was facing reality, she knew that the world was much more harsh than her dreams had made it seem.

"Do you like music?" Spyro asked, glancing behind him towards Cynder.

The black dragoness lifted her head and shrugged her shoulders carelessly. "Meh."

" 'Meh'?" Spyro repeated disbelievingly, "You mean to say you don't like it?"

"Not really."

Spyro frowned and continued on the path, Cynder following him closer than usual. "Well, you'll have to get used to it. There's music everywhere in Warfang! It kinda grows on you…"

"I'm sure it will." She mumbled with a cynical tone.

Spyro pretended not to hear her comment. After all, it seemed that with each word exchanged the air about them only grew thicker.

Over the distant hills, a peculiar array of tall flags made their way into view. Cynder squinted and, with a leap of hope, gasped to herself quietly. "Is that…"

"Huh?" Spyro shook his head, apparently having been dozing off, and looked in the direction Cynder had referred to. "Oh, right. That's Warfang! It's still pretty damn far, though…"

Cynder shook excitedly, wagging her tail as a newborn puppy would.

"But we still have to get past the guards there."

"Guards?" Cynder repeated, looking at Spyro questioningly.

"Yeah. These big buff dudes standing outside the castle." Spyro shivered as bad memories came flooding back to him, "They sure can fight…"

"You mean to say, they won't let you in?" Cynder asked with a despondent sigh.

"Naw. You have to have a passport, or something… So, I just sneak past them, since they're not exactly the smartest guys on earth."

She was starting to understand what was going on. Spyro must not have been born in the city to not have a passport… That would mean that he was illegally living in the big city. She wondered if the security there was at all useful in some way…

The city was growing bigger as the two got closer, and eventually the tall buildings and towers vaguely made themselves known. The flags were a bright gold hue, with strange patterns and symbols drawn onto them.

"How exactly do you get past them?" She asked harshly.

Spyro simply shrugged. "I just wait for the right moment. Those guys don't really pay any attention, 'specially when they're drinking rum."

"Ah." Cynder didn't know whether to be hateful or joyful of the fact that there would actually be some suspense in this journey. After all, she _had _become bored of constant walking.

Up ahead, Cynder could see a short bridge looming several feet over a glimmering river. She was surprised at the intricate patterns on the wooden rails, and the light brown wood that these patterns were carved in. If Warfang was like this, she was afraid she would be spoiled to death!

Spyro took a step onto the wooden bridge, pausing as a low creaking noise was made. Cynder could see his face grow a bit pale as he looked over the side of the bridge and into the water, shaking a bit as he did so. An amused smirk grew on her face as she observed him taking slow, cautious steps onto the bridge, before bounding off to the other side with a yelp.

"H-Hurry up!" He shivered, "What are you, s-scared?"

"I'd rather not start." She suppressed a laugh, walking across the bridge effortlessly. Her muscles tensed up ,though, as the creaking wood did make her feel a bit uneasy.

As she stepped back onto the dry dirt, she could see Spyro examining her carefully, as if looking she were some sort of strange creature of some sort. "What?"

"Eh?" Spyro shook his head, giving her a superior look, "Nothin… You seemed scared, is all."

Cynder rolled her eyes angrily, "Yeah. Right." She murmured carelessly.

"Anyways…" He grumbled, glancing toward Warfang, "The city looks to be pretty far away. I don't think we'll make it by today…"

He started on the path once again, flapping his wings slowly and effortlessly. Clouds of dust were brought up and blown towards the black dragoness behind him, who coughed as she breathed in the dirty cloud. "Stop it!" She exclaimed.

"Huh?" Spyro looked behind him and shrugged sheepishly, "Right. Sorry."

The sun was beginning to set, and a dim glow danced across the entire earth, casting long shadows and a surreal feeling into the air. Spyro sighed happily, keeping a close eye on the setting sun just over the horizon. The heat had settled down quite considerably, and the two finally had a chance to enjoy the cool breeze that caressed their bodies.

"It only gets easier from here." Spyro decided to break the silence, glancing at Cynder for a split second.

"Oh..?" Cynder murmured, happy that the journey was finally letting up. She wasn't particularly fond of walking for countless hours with somebody she wasn't too familiar with, or the fact that she was forced to do so.

"Mmm… I can't wait till we get there!" Spyro exclaimed while licking his lips, "I'm gonna eat so much meat, meat meat…"

Cynder's stomach growled furiously at the mere thought of food. She shot Spyro a dirty look, causing him to look down and murmur something to himself in a low voice.

Spyro began to test his wings, extending them out and in slowly. The bones in the wiry frame popped slightly, causing him to look up into the sky. "My, err, feet are starting to hurt a lot…" He said in a low whine, "Mind if we fly?"

"No!" Cynder growled defensively.

Spyro recoiled at her sudden outburst, though a small smirk still managed to make its way onto his face. "Oh, I see… You can't fly."

Cynder shook her head with a grunt. "Not true."

"Well then, let's fly."

"No."

Spyro groaned angrily, kicking up a pebble laying in front of his path. "Party pooper…"

"What?"

"Party pooper."

"What's that?"

"…" Spyro remained silent, shooting Cynder various nervous looks, as if she would explode at any second.

"What is that?" Cynder asked suddenly, squinting off towards the distance as a large object made its way into her view.

Spyro looked in the direction Cynder had pointed out, frowning a bit as the object became more clear as they got closer. "Oh great…"

Cynder raised a scaly brown quizzically, perplexed as to what the heck something like _that_ was doing out here in the open. It was a large, wooden cart, with two giant wheels at each side held together by an axle in the center. On the front was a large horse with many ropes around itself connected to a small wooden platform. A tarp was spread upon a thin metal frame, like a blanket shielding the cart from the sun's rays.

The two slowly came to a halt, realizing that the cart was actually moving in their direction. As it got closer, Cynder could barely make out the shape of a small figure within the cart. A large hat was tipped over its face, so she couldn't see what kind of creature it was.

Eventually, the large cart came to a creaking halt before the two dragons, while the creature inside peeked out from under his hat.

"Oh?" The creature murmured, sticking his long nose out of the cart and taking a big whiff of the two dragons, "Ah! Well if it isn't Spyro, my man!" It was a short mole, who waved a small stubby arm with a smile.

"Uh, right…" Spyro murmured, starting to make his way around the cart, "We'll be on our way now…"

" We?" The mole sniffed the air again, "Oh, we indeed! Looks like you got a lady friend here…" He murmured with a strange tone, reaching out towards Cynder with a hairy paw. "You, my beautiful dame, may call me Argos…"

Spyro merely smacked his paw to his forehead in anger.

Cynder took a step back, feeling repulsed upon laying eyes on Argos. He wasn't exactly the prettiest of creatures, with bug-like eyes and rancid breath that stung Cynder's eyes. "Uh…" She hastily made her way towards Spyro, desperate to create some distance from the ugly mole.

"Oh, damn…" Argos murmured sheepishly, "Left me hangin' there…"

"Listen, Argos…" Spyro started, "We really should get going."

"Oh, no, not this time, my man!" Argos exclaimed, waving at the dirty passenger seats inside the cart, "I'll give ya a lift to wherever you need to go!"

Spyro looked down and scowled hopelessly.

Cynder glanced at Spyro and shook her head. "I am _not_ going inside that thing," She growled through clenched teeth.

--

Truly, Cynder had no idea how she had let herself be talked into setting foot inside the dirty cart. In the seat across from her sat Spyro, who looked at her with a shrug.

"So, beautiful…" Argos cajoled, holding out a bowl full of grapes, "Would you care to have a few with me?"

Cynder scooted over uncomfortably in an attempt to get away from Argos, though the mole stuck to her like a magnet. "Uh, no, not really…" She gasped, putting a paw to her nose in order to keep out the horrible smell that came from the mole's breath. It was the only thing that motivated her hungry stomach to keep quiet at a time like this.

"Hmm… Suit yourself." Argos said, taking a large grape out of the bowl and licking it gently, "Just holler if you… Get hungry…" He popped the grape into his mouth slowly, moaning loudly and obnoxiously as he chewed the fruit with his rotting teeth.

Cynder's stomach churned in disgust, and she fought the urge to lean over the back of the cart and vomit.

Spyro, apparently, didn't have the same amount of control as Cynder, leaning over the edge of the cart and retching violently.

"Woah, woah woah there!" Argos exclaimed, waving his hairy paws in the air exaggeratingly, "Don't you get none of that dragon puke on my wagon! I just cleaned it yesterday…"

"_Try cleaning yourself, for once…" _Cynder thought bitterly.

The purple dragon leaned back into his seat with a groan, his purple scales turning a pale shade of white. "How much… Urgh… How much longer..?" He asked weakly.

"I dunno," Argos started, "Probably like an hour or two."

Cynder looked away and closed her eyes. As long as they were here, she might as well get some sleep… After all, they _had _been walking for quite some time now… She sighed softly, letting relaxing sleep grab a hold of her consciousness…

... But the rancid breath of the nearby mole was making hard to get any sleep at all.

-- -- -- --

Well, this chapter sucked. I really didn't like it. My inspiration for this is running a bit dry now. We'll see how long I can keep this story going… Any ideas would be appreciated. (lol, this whole sentence seemed emotionless.)

And be sure to review, so that you can tell me what I'm doing wrong or what you didn't like!


	5. Arrival

I almost wrote myself into a brick wall with this one. But since I somebody out there has to like it, I'll continue.

Seriously though, I didn't like how this chapter turned out. I had to force myself to post this chapter up and not give up. I'm not asking for you guys to simply review and tell me how good it is, I'm asking you guys to tell me what you don't like about the story and what I can improve.

ANOTHER REMINDER: Cynder lied and told Spyro her name was Ember. Just a heads up for those of you that didn't see that tiny detail earlier on in the story.

* * *

_Conk!_

Cynder's eyes shot open as something sounding like the hollow clunk of a coconut woke her up from her short sleep, leaving her momentarily dazed as she nearly fell out of her seat. Apparently, the cart had come to a very sudden stop.

"Hey! What the hell are you doin' out there?" Argos cried, hopping out of the cart and running around to the front of the vehicle.

Cynder looked around with wide eyes and noticed Spyro rubbing his head gently, where there was a growing red bump.

"Owwie…" He murmured quietly.

Owwie?

Cynder stood up from her seat and yawned, shaking her tail humorously as she rubbed her eyes gently. As she looked around the cart, she noticed that everything was tilted at an angle. Spyro lay in a heap in one corner of the cart, holding onto his seat with a pained face, while a loud commotion could be heard in front of the cart.

Tentatively she stepped out of the vehicle, looking around with a confused frown.

Strange… All the trees and grass seemed to be gone… Now there was nothing left but a large assortment of stones fitted neatly into a straight road… She walked around to the side of the cart, and let her jaw drop at the sight before her.

Spyro hopped out of the cart shortly after, following after Cynder while rubbing the growing bump on his head. He looked up as well, sighing in relief as he saw the city of Warfang standing right in front of him. "Well… Here we are…" He murmured quietly, as if it were nothing new.

Cynde shook her tail excitedly, amazed by the high towers that loomed over the whole city with proud, red flags waving at the top of them. Each flag had a different image of strange looking dragons; Cynder dismissed her thoughts, smiling a bit as she realized that all her worries would soon be left behind.

"… How the hell could such powerful wheels be broken by such a _tiny_ pebble?" Argos screamed, tearing clumps of fur out of his abnormally shaped head and pointing at a small rock on the road. Standing in front of him was a smaller mole, who only hung his head in shame. The cart had a broken wheel laying on the side of the road, with a broken metal axle laying on top of it. Apparently, the driver had broken the wheel.

"I'm sorry, sir…" The smaller mole muttered, "It's just that… You never let me sleep, and I-"

"Blasphemy!" Argos cried, "Get out of my sight!" He growled, pointing a hairy finger in the direction from which they had come from. The smaller mole nodded, slumping away in the opposite direction with reddening ears.

"Umm…" He turned around slowly, "Do I still get paid?"

"NO!" Argos exclaimed, "This time you'll pay _me!_"

The smaller mole ran off quickly, streaming tears behind him as Argos' harsh words finally got to his weak heart.

Cynder took a sudden step towards the city walls, following the road which winded around to a large, golden gate. The gate had a brilliant shine to it, as if it were under constant care, with elegant curvy designs added to its outer edges. It seemed so beautiful, such a sudden change from having to sleep in tin huts with beds made out of hay…

"_Where _do you think you're going?" Spyro asked suddenly, stepping in front of Cynder with narrowed eyes.

The black dragoness' mouth opened slightly, surprised that he had even _dared_ to ask her that in such a way. "Why does it matter?" She growled defensively.

Spyro laughed slightly, "Because you still aren't in the city yet. How will you get in on your own?"

Cynder looked down with a scowl, angry that her adventure with the purple dragon hadn't ended yet. She admitted it; without his help, her adventure would have ended not too long ago in the hands of Jeice. And, if she did manage to avoid being caught, she would have died of hunger and thirst before she got anywhere. But still… If only he hadn't been so bothersome, she would have enjoyed his company much more.

"Fine." She murmured in defeat, although at this point it didn't really matter. All she needed to do was get inside the colossal city, and the purple dragon would be out of her life for good.

"Hehe, told ya!" He teased playfully.

"Hurry up then." Cynder commanded, ignoring the increasingly loud cries of Argos, who began to curl up in a ball and cry loudly. "I don't want to stay around any longer."

"Hmph, alright then…" Spyro said, taken aback by her bossy attitude. Though, he thought he'd have gotten used to it by now… Oh well. It couldn't be helped.

The two dragons hurried off towards the gates, completely disregarding the grief stricken mole who lied on the ground in a furry heap. His sobs became quieter and quieter to the two dragons as they left, the sobs eventually toning down to soft, maniacal whispers.

"So, what are you gonna do once you're inside?" Spyro asked curiously, "I bet you're really hungry."

She shrugged her shoulders carelessly. "Not really."

Spyro looked away and frowned, annoyed that she was too unwilling to start any kind of conversation. "Yeah right… The last thing you ate was… an apple, right?" He murmured, hoping to spur her hunger.

"Yeah." She grimaced, feeling her stomach begin to twist and turn as a growl built up within.

"Well, you'd love the sweet, sweet corn bread… Oh, and I can't forget the steaming hot roast beef, served with a side of mashed potatoes… Just waiting for you to eat it all in one bite, and be filled for several days! And the-"

Cynder walked off ahead of him in such a hurry that she kicked up dust into the purple dragon's eyes, who coughed slightly. Whether she had had done it on purpose or not wasn't completely clear at the moment, though something told him it was intentional…

"Hey! Wait up!" Spyro trotted over to Cynder's side once again, frowning at her as she looked away and pointed her chin up in the air. "Man… What's the big rush? It's not like the city's going anywhere…"

"Well excuse me for being tired and hungry." She caught her mistake a second too late, shaking her head slowly.

"Ah-ha! I was right, eh?" Spyro teased, expecting an annoyed expression or remark from Cynder. The only thing he got was another view of her tail as she quickened her pace, which he stared at for a bit too long.

"It's… Really big." She murmured, coming to a stop at the foot of the large golden gates. "But… I thought you said there would be guards here…"

"Well, so did I." Spyro replied, "Maybe they're on break right now… Whatever it is, I don't want to wait for them to come back." He leaned up against the gate and puffed up his cheeks, pushing into the gate with all his might. It creaked a bit as it opened up a crack, slowly opening up a bit wider. As soon as an entrance small enough was made, Cynder squeezed herself through. Spyro followed soon after, crouching low as he looked around cautiously.

"What are you doing?" Cynder asked sharply, giving Spyro a weirded out look as he straightened himself out.

"I was just trying to be stealthy." He responded in a matter of fact way. Cynder furrowed her brow at him, looking up at the bright blue sky above.

"But it's the middle of the day. Idiot."

"…" Spyro acted as if he hadn't heard her insult, instead looking at his surroundings a bit more focused. "Well, we're still not inside the city. This place is kind of like a small park."

Cynder nodded, taking note of the several benches and plastic slides that were scattered around this large area. There were a couple of trees planted into the ground, and in one corner of the park she could see a tall fence separating the outside world from a giant, glimmering pool of water. Perhaps it was there for people to swim in…

"That's… Pretty much it." Spyro grinned, "Just don't do anything bad, or else the security will find out that you and I are here illegally."

Cynder looked on ahead, a bit intimidated by the large buildings that loomed over the narrow streets and alleys of the city. She thought of her friends, and wondered if they had found refuge in one of these buildings…

"You know, I wonder what happened to the guards that used to be here…" Spyro added, looking around with narrowed eyes, "Last time I came, I barely managed to get away from them."

"Oh?" Cynder replied in a halfhearted attempt at sounding interested.

"Yeah." Spyro began walking towards a large, triangular shaped building with two small windows on its front. He crouched underneath the windows and slowly peeked over its edge, taking note of the fact that the building was completely empty. "Now, come on. We should go before the lobby gets full." He stuck a claw underneath the window frame, sliding it up to make an entrance to the building. Before he could pull himself through Cynder had already jumped in effortlessly, her claws making sharp clicking sounds as she landed on a wooden floor.

After Spyro had gotten in, he dashed over to the other side and did the same to a window that was there, enabling him and Cynder to sneak out of the building.

"Whoa," Cynder gasped as she saw just how big the city of Warfang really was, letting her eyes travel across the many winding streets and slopes, all made out of smooth, rounded stones. Thousands of wooden buildings were scattered across the city, some with dim lights visible beyond their glass windows. Several street lamps hung over various twists and turns within the city streets, lighting up the sidewalks for anybody who was traveling on them.

"Fortunately for you, I live just a couple of blocks away from here!" Spyro exclaimed with a bright smile, "You can stay with me until you find a place to live in. Sound cool to you?"

Cynder bit her lip, suddenly feeling very shaky about her whole predicament. Her plan to get to Warfang had worked, but… She hadn't really planned out what would happen after she got there. She couldn't possibly expect to find her friends in this gigantic maze of a city, and certainly did not know what she would do next. "Uh… Sure…" She replied tentatively.

"Great!" Spyro flashed a toothy grin, at which Cynder smiled weakly.

He turned around, hopping over to the sidewalk and going around the corner of a building. Cynder once again was lagging several feet behind him, too preoccupied with her own thoughts to pay any attention to the purple dragon. Now that she was here, she had to think of other matters, such as where she would live… She certainly wasn't looking forward to spending the rest of her life with this dragon, especially since he didn't act like anyone else she had ever met. Most of the people she knew at her slave camp were calm and mature about nearly everything. But this guy… He reminded her of the hatchlings that would run around the camp, ones that had never experienced punishment due to their young age.

Just then, Cynder felt a strange sensation rising up in her stomach. It was familiar, like she had felt it before… With a gulp she realized what was happening… Her eyes widened as her belly emmited a loud growl, causing her to cringe and put a paw to her stomach. What horrible timing she tended to have… She looked up at Spyro, who had already turned around and cracked a large smile.

"Hehe, alright!" He exclaimed, "That means we're gonna eat!"

"No, really," She started, holding out a paw and shaking her head, "I'm not-"

"Oh, don't start with me!" He pointed his tail at her accusingly, "You're gonna eat, whether you want to or not."

She looked away, not able to come up with a valid excuse. She didn't feel like imposing on somebody who was only a temporary obstacle in her life… One way or another, she _would _find a way to live peacefully. Her head turned slightly as she faced him with a deep frown, grudgingly narrowing her eyes at him. "Fine."

Spyro nodded, taking a left turn around the corner of the sidewalk they were walking on. Cynder poked her head around the corner of a brick building, spotting nothing but a few street lights and… Oh, what's this?

On the other side of the street there was a small window with several flashing lights, and a sign on the outside that read 'Exquisite Dining and Luncheon'. Her stomach growled again, and for a slight second she could have sworn that she felt the ground shake a bit. From what she could tell, the sudden onslaught of meaty aromas filling her nostrils meant that this was a restaurant of some sort.

"I bet you'll love the chicken they serve here…" Spyro said while licking his lips, having to make a conscious effort to not drool. "The guy that owns the place has other stuff too, like soups and pastries and steaks…"

"Hn." She mused to herself, happy that after such a long day she would get to calm her appetite.

As they got to the restaurant's wooden door, a large blue dragon opened it hastily, taking a large plastic bag and cramming it into a garbage can standing on the sidewalk. He turned to look at Spyro, raising a scaly brow curiously. "Oh, Spyro. Have you come to dine in my restaurant?" Cynder furrowed her brow at his accent, confused as to why it sounded so weird. She also didn't like the way he had said that, simply because he had such a haughty tone.

"Sure, uh…" Spyro put a paw to his mouth in thought, "I forgot your name."

"Hmph!" The dragon turned around, walking back into the restaurant with an arrogant sneer. "You may call me Cyril." He nodded towards Cynder, indicating who he was talking to. He shoved the door open with great force, causing dust to fall off of the outer walls of the building.

"Hmm…" Spyro mused as he glanced at Cynder, "Do we eat here, or just order and leave? I'd prefer eating here, but if you want we can-"

"Order and leave." Cynder quickly interrupted, rubbing her left eye with a yawn, "I'll wait here."

Spyro reluctantly agreed, not looking forward to arguing over such a trivial matter. He didn't quite like how Ember acted towards him, but knew that he was doing a good thing by helping her out.

"What you want?" A short mole walked over to Spyro, holding a pen and paper in his paws.

Spyro grimaced, his eyes darting around as he tried to find a menu somewhere. Unfortunately, he found nothing of the sort. "I dunno… Whatever I had last time."

"What?" The mole snapped, sticking the pen above his ear, "You expects me to 'member what you's ordered?"

"Um, okay…" Spyro flinched at the mole's short temper, "Do you have hamburgers, at least?"

"Of course." Cyril called from behind the restaurant counter, handing a paw-full of money to a tall, thin red dragon. "They're twenty-five rupees each."

"W-What?" Spyro exclaimed with widened eyes, "They were less than half that price a few days ago!"

"A few days ago we didn't have as many customers!" Cyril shot back, holding his arms out towards all of the dragons and moles sitting in various tables scattered around the restaurant. Spyro suddenly felt very small as all eyes were focused on him, with some customers leaning over and whispering things to their friends. He hadn't noticed the amount of people eating here when he walked in… "And as such, I have increased the price of my food. If you have any complaints, please feel free to fill this form right here!" He exclaimed, holding up a piece of paper in his paw, "Writing utensils are 5 rupees each, by the way."

"Grr…" Spyro growled as he felt a massive headache already coming on, "Fine. Just give me five hamburgers."

"_Five_?" Cyril gasped in awe, shaking his head solemnly, "You should be aiming for _losing _weight, not gaining it."

Spyro simply scowled, not knowing whether his pride or his confidence had taken the biggest blow.

"With or without cheese?" The small mole in front of him asked, quickly jotting something down onto his notepad.

"With."

"Okay, okay. I thanks you for your patronage." The mole bowed slowly, at which Spyro smiled awkwardly. "Crieche! Two meat-patties!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, running through a small door near the back of the restaurant and slamming it closed with suprising strength. Spyro looked behind him towards the restaurant's doors, noticing Ember peeking over the window cautiously. As soon as she saw him look, she disappeared out of view. How strange… She seemed to constantly be anxious about something, as if she were hiding something from him… Of course, he would have to get to the bottom of this.

He turned back around to look at the kitchen behind the counter, noticing two moles arguing over something very loudly.

"No! Joo nincompoop!" Screeched a female mole, smashing the smaller mole who had attended Spyro down with a large aluminum pan, "Zat is _not _how you make Frambole! Start it alls overs!"

"Y-yes M'lady!"

Cyril simply observed the whole spectacle with an amused smirk on his face.

Out of the corner of his eye, Spyro could notice Ember sticking her head above the window again. What the _hell _was she doing? Did she want to come inside instead of having to wait outside? Or maybe, just maybe… She was observing _him_! He suppressed the urge to flash a wide, cocky grin, hoping that she wouldn't notice his quick glances towards her.

"Excuse me!" A shrill voice pierced Spyro's senses, causing him to jump instinctively. "Your order is prepared!" The small mole from before had mysteriously popped up next to Spyro, holding up a small plastic bag with a claw. A large red bump was pulsing on the side of his face, and tears were streaming down his left eye.

"Oh, uh, thanks…" The mole snatched away the bag before he could grab it, however, holding out his other hand expectantly.

"Money?"

"Oh, right…" Spyro slid his bag off of his back, reaching in and pulling out a crumpled wad of green money. They had an image of a strange looking dragon on them, wearing glasses and giving him a slightly professional look. He dropped the wad in the mole's paw, who snapped his arm back and tossed the bag to Spyro's outstretched paw.

"Good day!" The mole dashed into the room behind him, slamming the kitchen door with so much more force than before that some loose screws flew out of the doorframe. Cyril briefly turned to look in the mole's directing, turning back around to hand some change to a tall, thin red dragon.

He turned around and headed for the doors, not eager to stay here any longer. He made a mental note to never return here again after witnessing the events that had just transpired. Pushing open the door, he could see Cynder looking in the opposite direction with a lazy look in her eye. "Uh, here. I dunno if you'll like this." He pulled out a small item wrapped in white paper holding it out to Cynder. "It gets kinda messy though."

Cynder inspected the item carefully, giving Spyro a suspicious look. She snatched it from him quickly, turning away from him and sniffing it briefly. It didn't _smell _nasty… But as she removed the paper cover, her stomach nearly heaved in disgust. "This… Is food?" She rhetorically asked while holding it away from her disgustedly.

"Yes…" Spyro murmured, "And it's _good_."

Cynder simply blinked. This isn't what she was used to eating… It had the stench of fat all over it. Slowly she held it to her mouth, pausing to look at Spyro impatiently. "Don't look."

"Okay…" Spyro laughed, turning around while whistling to himself.

She took a small bite out of it, tasting several different kinds of things at once. It didn't taste bad, but it didn't taste good either. Her eyes trailed over to Spyro, who was still whistling with his eyes closed. He opened them and grinned, wagging a scaly brow at her.

"So? Didn't I tell you so?"

"No, you were wrong." She retorted, wiping her mouth with the back of her paw, "It tastes like bark."

"It tastes like bark? And you know this _how_?" He mocked with a 'bark' of laughter.

Cynder scowled at him, annoyed at his constant jokes. They weren't even funny, yet he still kept laughing like an idiot. She didn't let her cold stare leave him alone for a second, taking a huge bite out of her hamburger almost too quickly. "Qwuiet." She mumbled through her mouthful of food.

"Right, right." Spyro said while holding his side, "Anyways, now that the sun is going down, I should probably show you where I live!"

Cynder coughed loudly as the food was stuck in her throat, her eyes wide as she put a paw to her throat and gagged. Of course… She had forgotten about the agreement she had with him earlier. Spyro grimaced, holding a hesitant paw out to Cynder as he thought of a way to help. "Uh… Oh, damn… Are you okay?"

Cynder gulped, relieved to have the food out of her throat and into her empty stomach. "Yes…"

"You eat really fast for someone who wasn't hungry, you know." He joked, laughing sheepishly as Cynder narrowed her eyes at him again.

"Whatever." She replied as she sunk her teeth into the hamburger once again, despite earlier claims.

Spyro studied her expression closely, noting a bit of relief as she scarfed down the food in a few quick seconds. She acted like she hadn't eaten in forever… Just how bad did she have it as a slave? Then, a completely unrelated thought popped up in his head. He had been having suspicions about this one for a long while now. "So, _Ember_…" He started casually, noting the look of confusion on Cynder's face, "You want to stay with me for a while?"

"What?" She asked with a puzzled look, "What do you mean?" Her expression suddenly changed to a horrified one as she realized her mistake too late. Again. "O-Oh, I mean…"

"I knew it!" Spyro jumped back, pointing an accusing claw at Cynder once again, "You _lied_!"

She growled at him, averting her gaze to the ground next to her. "Yeah, so?"

Spyro's arm fell back to his side as he stared at her with a surprised look in his eyes. "So, what's your real name, 'Ember'?" He interrogated, putting a strange emphasis on her fake name.

"Uh…" Cynder bit her lip nervously, contemplating on whether or not she could trust him. Actually, the more she thought of it, the less dangerous it seemed… After all, what could someone like him even do if he knew her name? In fact, what could possibly go wrong just by telling somebody your name? She mentally kicked herself at her own stupidity and naiveness. "Just call me… Cynder."

Spyro simply cocked his head to the side curiously. Cynder… where had he heard that name before? "Well 'Cynder', if that's your real name…" He started with a suspicious look, slowly looking into the bag he was holding in his paw. It didn't matter what he called her, now that he thought about it. It's not like a name would change who someone was… right? With a small grin he held out another hamburger, nodding towards the black dragon happily, "You want another one?"

* * *

Rain could be heard tapping at the wooden roof of the small hut, creating a calm feeling within this small room. In the center sat a familiar looking rat, his head tilted back with a glass bottle in his left paw.

"Who has escaped?"

Jeice turned his head to face the hushed voice, his breath rancid with the stench of alcohol as he took a deep breath. "What?"

"I said, who has escaped?" The voice asked once again, with a large, furry ape stepping out of the shadows of his office. The room was dimly lit by a single lantern sitting atop a shelf, save for one corner from which the ape had come from.

"Oh, just a handful of workers." Jeice muttered, holding the glass bottle up to his mouth and pouring a clear liquid into his open snout. His head shifted a bit, causing the liquid to spill all over the side of his arm in a messy splash.

"But _who_?" The ape growled impatiently, obviously fed up with Jeice's attitude.

"Hrm… Let's see…" The rat groaned, holding his wet paw above his head. "There's Abor, Sera, Polythemus, and…" He shut his eyes in deep thought, dropping the bottle of liquor onto the wooden floor. It fell on its side with a loud clang, rolling around in a half circle with all of its contents being spilled onto the floor. "And the last one was named Cynder, I think…"

"_Cynder_?" The ape clenched his fists, clenching his teeth at the smaller rat before him, "I assume you're going to capture her, right?"

"Calm down, Gaul," Jeice waved a hairy paw at Gaul, "It's just one worm that got away. We have plenty more here at-" Jeice's head snapped to the side as Gaul swiped his paw across his face, tearing out a handful of fur as the rat landed on the floor with a loud thud. Jeice brought a paw up to his cheek and groaned; he had done many things to incur Gaul's wrath, but this was unlike anything he had ever experienced…

"You don't realize what just happened, do you?" Gaul started, grabbing Jeice by the fur on his head and lifting him up to eye level, "_That _dragon is one of our select few. _Understand_?"

Jeice blinked, attempting to get rid of the sudden fuzziness that came to his vision. "I, uh… No, I don't."

Gaul frowned, releasing his grip on Jeice and letting him fall to the floor. "That's too bad. Your stupidity is the only thing that keeps you from accomplishing anything in your pathetic life." His words fell on deaf ears, though, as Jeice had already fallen asleep due to intoxication. Gaul growled and headed for the door, in which there stood a hooded figure.

"So, is the deal on?" The hooded figure asked with a calm tone, as if he hadn't witnessed what just happened. He played with an arrowhead that was in his furry paw, tossing it up and swiping it out of the air.

"Yes." Gaul intoned, grabbing the doorknob and slamming the door shut behind him. "Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing where she could have headed."

"And what about the other dragons? Won't you want them, as well?" The hooded figure inquired.

"No. They weren't selected."

"Selected?" The figure laughed, "I'd rather not ask."

"Even if you did, I wouldn't be allowed to tell you." Gaul reached over to a burning torch hanging next to the door and picked it up, walking down a large hallway with the hooded figure right behind him. The figure mumbled something to himself before shaking his head.

"So I have to find this 'Cynder', without any clues as to where she could have gone to?"

"Precisely." Gaul grunted, opening a large door at the end of the hallway. The familiar sound of rain hitting the tin huts scattered around the campsite rang in Gauls ears, something he had grown used to a long time ago.

"And you swear to pay the price _in full_?" The hooded figure asked in a low voice, while Gaul simply nodded.

A clash of thunder was heard, casting a sudden flash to illuminate the area for a split second. The light illuminated the hooded figure's features, revealing a feline-like face. His yellow fur had a few black spots here and there, with a couple of long whiskers hanging down from his cheeks. From what Gaul could see, he was a cheetah.

"Don't come back empty handed…" Gaul threatened, tossing a thin knife towards the hooded cheetah. "Hunter."

Hunter nodded, pocketing the knife in a pouch tied to his waist. He turned around and walked in the opposite direction, following the trail of sharp, jagged rocks that formed the small path out of the camp. A grin was formed on his face as he thought of the amount of money he would receive should he capture the dragon. Whatever it was, it must mean that she was very important…

"Sure thing," He called back towards the large ape, suppressing a mischievous laugh.

As the day dragged on, the rain began to let up a little. He had really gotten lucky today; all he had to do was capture a dragon, bring her back to the slave camps, and get paid a fortune! Though, he was a bit interested as to why the ape had offered him so much money just to bring back one dragon… Hopefully, as his mission went on, he would find out a bit more about this dragon.

But, he was very curious as to what the ape had said about the other dragons, that they hadn't been 'selected'. What exactly did he mean by that? No matter… All would be revealed in due time.

* * *

Does my writing in this chapter seem repetitive at all? Is there any way I can improve it in the future, such as improving the flow of the story? Did it seem a bit rushed? Will I ever quit fan fiction after being here for so many years?

Again, I absolutely hated how this chapter turned out, but decided that it was necessary in order to get the story moving along. You got just a _wee _bit of the action in the beginning… But, if everything goes as I have it planned in my head, then it will get a lot better. Eventually. So I understand if you think this chapter was freaking boring as hell and decide not to review.


	6. NOTE

Yeah, I'm redoing this story. Sorry if you were liking it, but it just wasn't getting anywhere (it might not seem like it, but if you knew about the plot in my head, you'd know.) I just feel like I can improve it a bit, and mess around with the personalities a little more until it's just right.

The new, redone story will be posted soon, I'll tell you that. I'm going to leave this one up just in case it would break your tiny heart to see it go (?).

So yeah, not much more to say here. Thanks for reviewing, and keep an eye out for the redone story.


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